Keiichi Tanaami, Fragment of Time, 2022. Pigmented ink, acrylic silkscreen medium, crushed glass, glitter, acrylic paint on canvas; 80 3/8 x 118 1/8 in (204 x 300 cm).
By Ilka Scobie
Keiichi Tanaami: “Manhattan Universe” Venus Over Manhattan
Born in 1936, this Japanese artist has long incorporated Western pop imagery as an influence in his long and storied career. However, Tanaami’s work transcends any medium and infuses his work with movement and dense countercultural references with co-mingling manga, Neo Dadaism, and traditional Japanese techniques.
This show includes small works, the daily paintings the artist executes, inspired by Picasso. The monumental canvases created especially for this show highlight the artist’s dizzying best, as he commingles glitter, crushed glass, silkscreen and ink markings in his opulently layered imagery. An opened eye is at the centre of a mandala, with flying saucers, superheroes, cartoon figures, and cute monstrosities. This octogenarian artist maintains a vision as explosively energetic as back in the day when he created album covers for the Jefferson Airplane.
